Jahnava Nitai Das

Thank you for writing. The Brahma-vaivarta Purana is overall categorized as being a rajo-guna Purana, aimed at elevating those within the mode of passion. The pastimes of Lord Krishna within this Purana are specifically there to benefit those souls who are attracted to lower modes. Descriptions of those pastimes are not within the lower modes. It is like the Bhagavad Gita occuring within the Mahabharata. Though the Mahabharata is focussed on dharma (religiousity), artha (economic development), kama (sense enjoyment) and moksha (liberation form suffering), the Gita itself is not interested in any of these, but instead focusses on complete surrender to Lord Krishna. The entire Vedic literatures are presented in this way. Certain portions appear to be offering lower things to the conditioned soul, but they are presented (by Vyasa) in such a way that one will be exposed to Lord Krishna and His spiritual pastimes, and in this way the soul is purified from his lower desires and eventually comes to the platform of pure devotional service, ananya-bhakti. Yours in service, Jahnava Nitai Das, Bhaktivedanta Ashram

Here is an article in reply to one of the articles linked above. "The Tritiya-prakriti" article above is just a propaganda piece full of distortions and misrepresentations. A reply to the Galva article There are multiple long threads on this topic already from before, so I think I would rather just leave the discussion where it left off last time. What is so great about being "open-minded" to any and everything? Why is a religion considered good if it doesn't state what is right and wrong. Gandhi said it was ok for Muslims to kill cows because it was their religion. So if I say my religion is to kill people like Gandhi, will he be ok with that? If I say my religion is to murder people, will Gandhi say it is fine because it is my religion? Perhaps some will glorify Gandhi's being "open minded". Personally, I do not think it is a great thing to accept the killing of cows. It certainly is not the symptom of a mahatma, a great soul. [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 10-22-2001).]

Regarding how other's will perceive you: A very small minority (who are very caste conscious) will think negatively of you based onyour birth. The greater majarity will show you proper respect based on your conduct and activities.

The Bhaktivedanta Ashram has recently launched a new website, "Sudarshana Broadcasting" (www.sudarshana.org), which provides 24 hour nonstop broadcasts of spiritual lectures on Hinduism and Vedic philosophy. You will also find many recordings of bhajans, kirtans, mantras, and stotras in Real Audio format. You can visit the new website now by clicking on the following link: http://www.sudarshana.org

For those who don't know what a "Balarama Mridanga" is, it's a fiber glass and rubber version of the Bengali mridanga used in ISKCON temples. It really is a great idea. The sound is identical with the clay mridanga (but louder), and they are nearly indestructable. A few weeks back I went to Sri Sacchidananda Ganapathi's Ashram here in Mysore, and even they have a few "Balarama Mridangas" imported from the Los Angeles ISKCON temple where they are made.

For those who don't know what a "Balarama Mridanga" is, it's a fiber glass and rubber version of the Bengali mridanga used in ISKCON temples. It really is a great idea. The sound is identical with the clay mridanga (but louder), and they are nearly indestructable. A few weeks back I went to Sri Sacchidananda Ganapathi's Ashram here in Mysore, and even they have a few "Balarama Mridangas" imported from the Los Angeles ISKCON temple where they are made.

Just for the record, no one has ever shown the evidence to be false. Some people have just asserted that they were interpolations. But they have never offered any evidence or proof to back their claims. Actually there is hardly any discussion on the net trying to establish Chaitanya's avatara from the shruti. Basically it is only one guy from Brazil.

...because if users don't respect the rules of speech for these forums, then I don't respect their messages in which they use offensive language. Pretty simple.

Actually, I'm the only evil villain who deletes messages. The rules of conduct are quite clear in these forums. Basically, no bad language. I request people to be friendly and polite, but I won't try to enforce that. Many of the people on these forums don't believe in Krishna - Shvu for one. He has always been free to post his sceptisism. Many others disagree and post their arguments on various issues. Not a single message has ever been deleted because of the content of belief or philosophy. If we can't control the words we use during "spiritual" discussions, should we really be discussing? Of course, you probably weren't aware of the rules regarding language usage. That's no problem. But to think people are specially censoring you because of your beliefs, when in reality it was because you used some offensive four letter words, is ridiculous. Feel free to repost your original message without the offensive words in it, and see if it gets removed or not.

My point is that inquiries must be based on evidences (or pramanas). Otherwise one may ask anything, and the answer will be mostly meaningless or unknowable. For example, I can question, "Maybe Krishna is actually Red color, and all the books have been changed to hide this supreme truth." Now, how useful is this question. First, there is no evidence that such a thing is true. Second, even if it was true, it is not something we can conclude - as there is no evidence in the first place. Thus one is left with one's own speculations which are meaningless since they are without foundation. One should rely on pratyaksha (direct perception), anumana (logical inference), and shabda (authoritative scriptures or realization) to establish one's belief. Shabda, when refering to spiritual authority can be judged based on the personality delivering it to you. On the level of realization, there is no need to judge, as it is direct experience of truth. I would suggest one relies on such evidences, rather than meaningless speculative hypothesis which are endless in number. Otherwise one can just as well ask, "Maybe Bill Clinton was actually the Supreme God, and he incarnated on Mars before descending to earth on a moon beam." The point being there is no evidence for such a hypothesis, so why waste time on it. Rather, use logic to focus on those hypotheses that have ample evidence and support. [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 10-20-2001).]

I think the distinction is one of "desiring" something to occur for the benefit of the world. If I say, "let the entire world be pure devotees of Lord Krishna" it doesn't imply that I would go around with a gun and force everyone to convert. It is just a desire that the world should be like that. In that sense, let the entire world follow the Gita, let them all chant the name of Krishna, let there be one deity, and one service. That would certainly benefit the world.

Yudhisthira was made to see hell due to his delay in carrying out the Lord's instruction to tell the lie that Ashvathama was dead. Smartas generally claim it was for telling the lie that Yudhisthira was made to see hell, but Vaishnavas disagree with this conclusion. Dharma is that which is instructed by the Lord: dharmam tu sakshad bhagavata pranitam "Dharma is the direct words of the Lord." If Lord Krishna tells Yudhishtira to lie, that becomes his dharma. To obey the Lord is the only true dharma of the conditioned souls.

I think now he can sleep at night knowing you have approved of his following the Gaudiya religion.

The caste system is a corrupted practice that needs to be removed from hindu society. Those who take to Hinduism should not take up the corrupted practices as well. Learn to take only the essence or good from everything. We are all sons of God, thus our identification is as His servant, not as any particular caste.

Great saints such as Shankaracharya have made statements such as: ekam shastram devaki-putra-gitam eko devo devaki-putra eva eko mantras tasya namani yani karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva "Let there be one scripture, the Gita of Lord Krishna. Let there be one God, the son of Devaki. Let there be one mantra, Lord Krishna's name. Let there be one activity, the service of Lord Krishna." To Shvu: The claimed quote from "His Divine Grace" by Melvin was manufactured by him. It does not exist and has never been said by anyone else. That should be obvious since Jijaji's name appears in it. But even as a general quote, Prabhupada has not made such statements.

Oh yeah, my own 2 cents worth opinion on UG is that he was just a confused person who liked to talk and have people listen to him. He enjoyed to have the followings that he criticized the swami's for having. Just a simple case of envy. But the difference is the swamis he was criticizing were detached from matter, fame, and enjoyment whereas he was attached to it.

It is very funny to read UG's statements. He says things like, I asked a question, but didn't care to listen to the answer... I really wasn't even interested in seeing this guy... he said something, but I didn't pay attention because they are all the same, aren't they? Talk about a blind believer.

And what if that new forgotten inconceivable truth was also just a third level of maya, and the next truth was a fourth level of maya, and what if the moon was made out of blue cheese, and the clouds were nothing but cotton candy? Speculation without foundation can be endless and it leads us no where.

I just saw this article on CNN and thought the following statement was pretty stupid. They found 2 box cutters hidden in an overhead bin on a plane that was scheduled to go to New York on Sept 11th but was later grounded. In response, the Canadian police say: They find two knives on a plane, and they say "nothing suggests that passenger safety was ever compromised"!? And then they conclude: Anyone else find this type of statement ludicrous? They find two knives on a plane and say, "Everything was fine, the plane didn't crash, did it?"

It is funny to note that even the Christians in India have "castes" based on what their previous caste status was before converting and most won't marry outside their caste. Also their worship remains more or less Hindu, with them offering sandalwood paste, garlands, lamps, etc., to Christ, Mary, and a slew of other "Gods" (mostly saints and various aspects of Mary). Even after converting they still need to see many deities to be satisfied! For example, they will have "Our mother of small pox", "Our mother of wealth", "Our mother of health", etc., and they believe if you worship that deity you will attain that result. On top of that, many even wear vibhuti (ash) on their forhead in the shape of a cross! Isn't this just Hinduism with the names changed?! Such conversion (whether to Hinduism or Christianity) is very shallow and has no spiritual effect. Though claiming to convert from one faith to the next, they maintain their exploitive natures and have changed nothing but their name. Faith and worship of the Lord does not require "conversion". No external ritual is needed for the Lord to accept us as His own, for he already accepts all of us as His children: aham bija pradah pita - "I am the father of all living entities."

I think generally it isn't any of our duties to state who is and who isn't Hari's servant. It is better if we try to become His servant our self.

What I have heard is that they were going to get the police to file a complaint against the temple, and died in an accident at that time. Perhaps someone can do a search for newspaper clippings.

You can read the article, "God's, Demigods and Incarnations" in one of our previous newsletters. It is located at: www.indiadivine.com/tattva11.htm The section on "ananda-valli" has descriptions of several categories of demigods.

The scriptures state that one who commits suicide will have to remain as a ghost for the period of time that one's body was supposed to exist. A ghost is nothing but a person with no physical body. According to the sankhya system, our body is made up of two coverings, the sukshma-sharira (subtle body) and the sthula-sharira (gross body). The gross body is made up of the panca-bhutas (earth, water, fire, air and ether), and the subtle body is made up of the mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi) and identification (ahankara). It is the subtle body which accompanies the soul into the next body at the time of death. The gross physical body has a particular duration of existence based on one's prarabdha karma. When one commits suicide, one brings one's physical body to an end prior to it having completed it's alloted time. One's next body is prepared in the akasha, ready to manifest at the end of one's alloted time (the normal death of one's physical body). Thus if one was supposed to live for 100 years, one's next body will be waiting for you after that 100 years. If for some reason one were to commit suicide at the age of 50, then one's next body will not be ready, and one will remain in an ethereal state until the ballance 50 years of existence pass. This state of existing as a ghost is a great suffering for the individual, as they lack the senses through which to act. The desires to act remain, as the mind, intelligence and identification of the subtle body are still existing. But lacking a physical body with senses, it becomes impossible to satisfy the desires one has. This leads to a hellish state of existence for the soul. One may deliver a friend or relative from this ethereal existence, and put them back on their path, by performing Vishnu puja. This is known as the shraddha ceremony, wherein food is sanctified by offering it to Vishnu, and the remnants are offered to the forefathers for their purification. If any of the forefathers had been in such a ghostly situation, they would become delivered by receiving the blessings of Vishnu prasadam. For those who are unable to perform the sraddha ceremony, the chanting of Vishnu's names should be performed, either in japam or through group bhajana. Govinda-nama-sankirtana is the most powerful method of delivering one's friends and forefathers from negative circumstances, both while they are living and after. Yours in service, Jahnava Nitai Das, Bhaktivedanta Ashram [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 12-12-2001).]

[The League of Devotees was founded in Jhansi by Srila Prabhupada prior to his coming to America.] Padayatra Returns to Jhansi by Deena Bandhu das On September 20, Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan Padayatra on their way to Dwarka to complete four times around India arrived again in Jhansi. They were greeted by many of the leading citizens of the city including Dr. Suresh Chand Shastri, with whom Srila Prabhupada used to stay in Jhansi. Our loyal well wisher Sri Brij Mohan Mishra, who was the Hindi teacher of past Prime Minister of India Sri Deve Gowda and who convinced him to release a commemorative stamp of Srila Prabhupada, was also on hand. Our dear Lifemember, Sri Baidyanath Rai, promised to sponsor all the prasad distribution for the four days of processions in different parts of the city. Another Lifemember, Sri Ved Prakash Sahu, invited all the devotees to stay in his Prakash Hotel, one of Jhansi's finest and just five minutes from the Railway Station and very centrally located. He also erected a beautiful pandal in the garden in front of Prakash Hotel for our evening programs. The people of Jhansi have become very proud of Srila Prabhupada, who made Jhansi famous all over the world. Although previously, the many young people who flocked to Srila Prabhupada in the 50's did not have the influence to help Srila Prabhupada keep his League of Devotees in the Radha Memorial, now the leading citizens have promised land and assistance in opening a center in Jhansi. In fact, on the last evening of our stay, one sadhu from the Ramanuja Sampradaya, Sripad Sridharacharyaji Maharaja, suddenly appeared and came onto the stage and annouced that he would donate ten acres of land just outside of Jhansi. He then praised Srila Prabhupada's great contribution to spreading Vaisnavism throughout the world. Two disciples of Lokanath Maharaja, who are residents of Jhansi, Sri Brajendranandan and Sri Karuna Sindhu Prabhus, made all of the arrangements. They have been holding weekly programs in their houses and now have more than 100 people chanting rounds and honoring only Krishna Prasadam. Of these around fifty are chanting sixteen rounds. Sri Sri Nitai Gaursundar, resplendent on Their new hand-carved rath, stayed under the spreading branches of a huge banyan tree in front of Prakash Hotel. Every morning after Srinagar Darshan, His Holiness Radha Govinda Maharaja, who had come for this program from Vrindavan, delighted everyone with his nectarean lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam. Every afternoon at 4PM, the devotees accompanied the Padayatra Rath to a different part of the city every day. It was amazing to see the preaching of the two local devotees as there were hundreds of men, women, and children all with tilak and with bead bags swinging from their necks. They were joined by many others, dancing and chanting very enthusiastically for more than three hours. Returning at 7PM, hundreds of citizens attended the lectures in the pandal given by His Holiness Radha Govinda Maharaja. Maharaja very patiently tried to make them understand the purports given by Srila Prabhupada in his Bhagavad-Gita As It Is and appreciate the great contribution of ISKCON in the world today. I also attended, and I addressed the crowd in Hindi. (A devotee told me later that the crowd was impressed to hear me speak in Hindi.) I mentioned the recent disaster in New York City and reminded the Jhansites of their connection with New York. On the first visit of Padayatra to Jhansi many years before, Lokanatha Maharaja had said that ISKCON's conception was in Jhansi and delivery in New York. I mentioned that Prabhupada had also made an explosion in New York, the Hare Krishna Explosion, but that was a nice explosion. When I said that Prabhupada made the bomb in Jhansi and it blew up in New York, the crowd simultaneously cheered and laughed. One local devotee spoke into another mike to tell me that they were laughing because Jhansi is famous for its firecracker factories! In service of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, Deena Bandhu dasa